The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday released the sworn handwritten affidavit of the two environmental activists who had claimed they were abducted by the military.
Based on the separate affidavits, both Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro had said that they would voluntarily surrender to the military as rebels.
According to Tamano, she wanted to surrender to authorities as she had been receiving death threats from the New People's Army - Communist Party of the Philippines (NPA-CCP), a group she chose to be part of in May this year.
“Kasama na ron ang paghihirap at stress sa mga gawaing pang-organisa. Natanto ko rin ang pangungulila ko sa aking pamilya sa tatlong buwan kong pagkilos sa komunidad. Kaya mula ngayon ay hindi ko na ninanais makisangkot sa anumang usapin ukol sa organisasyon upang makapag bagong buhay,” she added.
LOOK: NTF-ELCAC inilabas ang handwritten affidavit ng pagsuko ng environmental activists na sina Jhed Tamano, Jonila Castro | RH52 @ednielparrosa #SamaSamaTayoPilipino pic.twitter.com/ryJTVEAzxy
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) September 21, 2023
Castro, meanwhile, said she had realized that she no longer wanted to live as a rebel due to the drastic hardships that this entails.
“Lalong tumindi ang kagustuhan kong makaalis na nang ibalita sa amin ng masa na balak na kaming trabahuhin ng grupong ROTB, isa sa kalabang grupo ng NPA,” she added.
The two activists' sworn statement was released days after they unexpectedly claimed that they were kidnapped and detained by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during a press conference organized by NTF-ELCAC on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Tamano and Castro said that they were allegedly forced to sign the affidavits.
Earlier this month, the two reportedly went missing in Orion, Bataan after conducting studies on the effects of the reclamation projects in the fishing villages in the North Manila Bay coastal towns.
The AFP is planning to file perjury charges against Tamano and Castro due to the alleged lies in their retraction.
AFP spokesperson Medel Aguillar announced that they would also be conducting an investigation to "identify those involved in the plot" to deceive the government.
"The brazen act is part of a sinister plot to embarrass and discredit the government and is good intention," he said.
